13 - 19

Alex Sanderson quells Six Nations fears after George Ford has scan

115 days ago

George Ford of Sale Sharks pictured during the pre-season friendly match between Sale Sharks and Newcastle Falcons at Heywood Road on September 07, 2024 in Sale, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images for Sale Sharks)

England fly-half George Ford has undergone a scan on the knee injury that is stopping him kicking at goal but Alex Sanderson, the Sale Sharks director of rugby, has moved quickly to dispel fears it will impact the player’s availability for the Six Nations championship.

Rob du Preez took over the kicking off the ground in Sale’s impressive 29-7 victory over Racing 92 in the Investec Champions Cup with Ford still able to use his kicking leg to deliver the spiral kicks and touch finders.

That will continue to be the case in Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership home game against winless Exeter Chiefs while Ford waits for the verdict of a consultant who will examine the scan to determine the best treatment.

Sanderson said: “He went for a scan today and this was a precautionary scan so please don’t start writing George Ford knee drama. There is no drama and he is up for selection and willing to play but he is feeling his medial ligament and that affects kicking from the floor.

“It is only a certain range of kicking and style where he can feel it. He has gone for a scan to see what kind of pain medication will allow him to kick from the floor and not aggravate it.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Sale

28 - 10

Full-time

Exeter Chiefs

All Stats and Data

“So, it is either a pill or an injection. Which means he will need a couple of days off which he will get post the Bristol game.

“It is an awareness (of the injury) and we want him to be kicking everything and moving forward. Rob du Preez is kicking well.”

While Ford is unable to deliver his full range of skills, Sanderson has confirmed captain Ben Curry came through his man of the match performance in the win over Racing 92 without any problems despite limping at the end of the match.

Tom Curry is also set to be given the green light to play again after his stem cell treatment to help manage the hip injury that threatened to end his career before surgery. However, Tom will not be used until the Bristol game on December 27 at Ashton Gate.

Rugby’s best of the best, ranked by experts. Check out our list of the Top 100 Men's Rugby Players and let us know what you think!

HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Men's Highlights

HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Women's Highlights

Jet Lag: The biggest challenge facing international sports? | The Report

Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry? | New Zealand & Australia | Sevens Wonders | Episode 5

Kobelco Kobe Steelers vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

The Rise of Kenya | The Report

The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

Comments

1 Comment

Bull Shark 115 days ago

Nobody dare call it a drama.

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Latest Features

LONG READ

Will wounded Carbery come back to haunt former side Munster?

Discarded by Munster and Ireland, Joey Carbery is flourishing again with Bordeaux.

LONG READ

Despite the Croke Park horror show, Marcus Smith shouldn't be discounted from Lions conversation

Chris Robshaw believes the superstar England fly-half shouldn't be discarded on the whim of a Dublin shellacking

LONG READ

Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?

The Queensland Reds are the outstanding Australian franchise so it would be a risk to move the entire coaching team to the Wallabies

Comments on RugbyPass

IkeaBoy 10 minutes ago

Will wounded Carbery come back to haunt former side Munster?

Discarded feels harsh.

Perpetually injured seems fairer. Did he ever manage 80 mins for Ireland?

3 Go to comments

IkeaBoy 12 minutes ago

Suaalii stars as Waratahs topple Chiefs in Super Rugby win the for ages

Tanned by the Tahs! Wonderful to see.

3 Go to comments

IkeaBoy 13 minutes ago

'Caelan Doris... I’m not sure he gets in the Lions back row at the moment'

Or just getting older. Total decline.

As inevitable as the passing of time…

14 Go to comments

Rachel Adams 15 minutes ago

Donna Kennedy: The woman who started 95 of Scotland's first 100 Tests

I believed that the 9.05 BTC I had in one of my Bitcoin wallets was gone forever. I had unsuccessfully mailed my laptop to several renowned data recovery companies. I made the decision to attempt a final wallet recovery after reading a favorable review of Wizard James Recovery on "Google search."In a matter of days, Wizard James Recovery was able to retrieve my wallet thanks to their prompt response. Wizard James Recovery followed our commitment and performed honorably.I strongly advise making use of Wizard James Recovery's services. Regardless of how you lost it, they can retrieve any lost cryptocurrency. Passwords that have been lost or scammed will be recovered.Contact them on:Whatsapp: (+44(7418)-367204) Email: (WIZARDJAMESRECOVERY@USA.COM)

1 Go to comments

IkeaBoy 27 minutes ago

Newcastle DoR Steve Diamond cops ban over 'wholly unacceptable' comments

Diamond Steve not a diamond guy.

Rascal.

2 Go to comments

IkeaBoy 32 minutes ago

Leinster player ratings vs Glasgow | 2025 Investec Champions Cup QF

Big Jordie was embarrassingly good.

I assume JVDF lost a few points because Jordie started to play as an open side for a good spell.

Ridiculous.

2 Go to comments

Cantab 45 minutes ago

Waratahs vs Chiefs: McKenzie needs to be No.10, James O’Connor is right

That’s what pressure can do of course and shows that any team can succumb to it.

9 Go to comments

Cantab 50 minutes ago

Waratahs vs Chiefs: McKenzie needs to be No.10, James O’Connor is right

Once again it has been shown that no team in this competition is unbeatable. Well done the Waratahs who showed the flair and guts to upset an off colour Chiefs outfit. DMac possibly had his worst performance for a long time. Crusaders now have their nose in front but their return matches against the Blues & Chiefs ( both in Ch Ch ) will likely determine the eventual winner of the round Robin. Not beyond the bounds of possibility that an Aussie team could emerge as the overall winner.

9 Go to comments

GP 52 minutes ago

Hurricanes vs Crusaders: Only two true Kiwi contenders, Bluesprint in full effect

Taha Kemara has stepped up big time this year at 10 for the Crusaders. Putting the ball behind the opposition. I would have liked James O’Connor longer in the saddle ed he looked sharp, scoring a brilliant try. Rivez Reihana deserves a go too. Unlike last year , the Crusaders have options.

2 Go to comments

Ralph 1 hour ago

Despite the Croke Park horror show, Marcus Smith shouldn't be discounted from Lions conversation

I would suggest that Jack Crowley is a better option than Marcus Smith as an outhalf who can play elsewhere. He’s a more rounded outhalf than Sam Prendergast in fact, but everyone has been carried away in Ireland because they don't, or refuse, to see the armchair ride Prendergast gets behind the Leinster pack. France was not a blip. It exposed deficiencies in Prendergast’s game.

14 Go to comments

Tom 2 hours ago

Despite the Croke Park horror show, Marcus Smith shouldn't be discounted from Lions conversation

Manu hasn't been good enough for a long time.

14 Go to comments

frandinand 2 hours ago

Suaalii stars as Waratahs topple Chiefs in Super Rugby win the for ages

As a long suffering Waratahs fan I really enjoyed the game last night despite having bitten my fingernails to the quick.

The real test will come over the next two games and hopefully this wasn't a flash in the pan.

3 Go to comments

Johnsonfidelis 2 hours ago

'All three in black': Another star trio of siblings coming through Kiwi ranks

I got a call from a trader for the first time in August 2024. Less than ”

I got a call from a trader for the first time in August 2024. Less than a year later, through a fabricated process of baiting me with unbelievable profits, and matching my losses, I was in over $185,000. The platform had assigned my personal broker to me, that called me from time to time to tell me about their new offers. And they said he was one of their top brokers, they further told me the broker had made a lot of people so rich. The broker told me there was an insurance that they get on them, every trade that we do that's secured and we could never lose money, he will put in there that it's an insured secure trade, and they buy the insurance for it. so i was assured, I won't lose any money on if we lose. Okay? But the catch is, you have to bring in an additional $25,000 in order to get that secured trade status on your account. I stupidly did this. Once I hit a certain profit level, I tried to remove money from them. That's when they denied me being able to take out my own money. They also told me to pay an additional fee to bring out my money. I was blocked out of my accounts and denied withdrawal even after i contacted them in various ways. Of course they never told me that additional of $25k from the beginning. So when I heard that, then it was pretty obvious to me that they were running a scam.I was very sad and confused after investing a lot. Earlier this year February 15th 2025, i was able to get my invested capital back including profit and the $25k additional fees with the help of the INTELLIGENCE CYBER WIZARD Assets Recovery (You can contact them below). They offer the best in monetary recovery if you are victim of cryptocurrency fraud, binary options fraud, real estate Investment fraud and many more.

G-mail: intelligencecyberwizard@gmail.com

WhatsApp: + 1 2 1 9 4 2 4 7 5 6 6

Proton mail: intelligencecyberwizard@proton

.me

0 Go to comments

Lisa Andreu 2 hours ago

Mixed Wales update on availability of Josh Adams, Gareth Anscombe

You’re such an amazing hacker verifiedprohackers@gmail.com thank you for being able to hack into my late husband MacBook Pro. This meant a lot to me because have been worried on how to get his passwords ever since he passed away but you verifiedprohackers@gmail.com made it possible for me. Thank you so much.

4 Go to comments

JW 2 hours ago

Waratahs vs Chiefs: McKenzie needs to be No.10, James O’Connor is right

Yes people don’t understand how different the roles are between 10 and 15. No doubt a lot of it was down to chance, but he’s also not the young fella that could light it up from anywhere, and when he’s given those sorts of opportunities I’m not surprised it was similar to Bledisloe I last year.